from March 2005
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features_insidersjamaica.html
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Insider's Jamaica
Text by Joe Yogerst Photograph by Brian Doben
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The perennial ride-on-the-beach fantasy comes true on Half Moon Bay. |
We're jammin'! From its aqua depths to its Blue Mountain peaks (7,000 feet plus), the Caribbean's third largest island teems with great music, art, food, landscapes, and locals.
 he key to enjoying Jamaica is finding secret spots," says local filmmaker and novelist Perry Henzell, who has spent more than half a century roaming the island for his books and movies—including The Harder They Come, his 1973 cult film about ghetto life in the capital, Kingston. "I'm talking about hidden little places that are magic in their own ways, places you'd never find if a local didn't point the way," he says.
It could be something as simple as an empty stretch of sand, a secluded waterfall, a thatched oasis in the water, or a roadside café with knock-your-socks-off jerk. Given that Jamaica is one of the Caribbean's larger islands—nearly as big as Connecticut—plenty of nooks and crannies await. The island's north shore (the long-ago haunt of Noël Coward and Errol Flynn) is well trodden, but the rest of Jamaica is dotted with places where you're likely to encounter Jamaicans discovering the charms of their own island.
Rain forest shrouds the Blue Mountains, where jungle trails link old plantation houses and villages founded by Maroons—runaway slaves. Mangrove swamps and hills studded with cactus embrace fishing villages and beaches along the arid south coast. Tucked up into the central highlands is a sparsely populated limestone wilderness called the Cockpit Country. On the other hand, sprawling Kingston has evolved into one of the Caribbean's most vibrant cities.
Though crime remains a real problem in Kingston, the capital has "a bigger buzz than any city its size on the planet," says Henzell. "There's nightlife and street life, human drama and a thriving theater scene. And as a backdrop, it has those magnificent mountains."
"Sometimes, after a gig on the island, I pick a road I've never been on before and see where it comes out," says singer/songwriter Ernie Smith. "I might find a man and a donkey, or a precipice with a grand view. There's always something new and astonishing."
But this Jamaica isn't for the sedentary. The only way to explore the island properly is to tear yourself away from the resort crowds and follow the leads of those who live there.
22 Ways to be Seduced by Jamaica's Tropical Magic1. Drive the sinuous mountain highway B1 from Kingston to Buff Bay
"The Blue Mountains are for Kingstonians who want to escape the city," says Kingston businesswoman Ruth Scott. "About 30 minutes into the drive, the temperature goes from about 90 to 70° (F)." In keeping with the climate change is a completely different landscape of flora, including the world-famous Blue Mountain coffee bushes. "It's the most beautiful drive in Jamaica," Scott continues, "with the road going up one side of the mountain and then down the other, to Buff Bay. Along the way are lots of little waterfalls and rivers. And Blue Mountain sunsets are the most gorgeous in Jamaica, with all sorts of colors and layers of light falling across the mountains and the flowers."
2. Eat great food—on the beachNorma's on the Beach—at the Sea Splash Resort (+1 876 957 4041)—is the new sibling of Norma Shirley's fusion Jamaican cuisine restaurant Norma's on the Terrace, in Kingston. "It's an oasis of fine dining in Negril," says foodie Virginia Burke. Signature dishes include snapper grilled in a three-citrus caper sauce, and smoked pork loin marinated in ginger, teriyaki sauce, and Red Stripe beer.
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